First place is on the line and the Prince George Polars plan on leaving the field undefeated.
There's only room for one at the top in the Northern Football Conference and Friday night at Masich Place Stadium that issue will be decided when the Prince George Polars put their perfect record on the line against the equally-perfect Nechako Valley Vikings of Vanderhoof.
Both teams are 4-0. Barring a tie, and the mathematical formulas that would be needed to sort out the standings in case of that scenario, the Polars believe they'll do what's necessary to win, but it will be close.
"Vanderhoof probably put up the best fight out of all the teams we've played and that was only a pre-season game, so it should be a tough game," said PGSS running back Taylor Goodine.
"They're pretty well-rounded with a strong running game and they can throw the ball decently well so we have to be watching everything. As long as our blocking's there, we can usually make the run work."
Goodine has been the go-to guy in the PGSS backfield. The B.C. High School Football Association website lists Goodine with 95 carries in four games for 342 yards, an average of 3.6 yards per carry. A product of the Prince George Minor Football Association, which helped refine his instincts on defence, Goodine and Lucis Gomes have been hawks for PGSS at cornerback.
"On defence, we've got some really strong linebackers and we have the speed to keep up with almost any running back in the league," Goodine said. "As long as we play our hardest and don't take any stupid penalties, we should win it."
Riley Wallace is expected to get the start at QB for the Vikings. He's connected for four TDs through the air this season. Brenden Little, Sheldon Conniff and Kyle Varley have all averaged better than 15 yards per catch. Conniff, Varley and Brad Manwaring lead the Vikings' rush.
The Vikings have allowed just 29 points in four games this season, tops in the Northern Conference, while the Polars have the top-ranked offence with 141 total points.
"We match up very good against Vanderhoof and we love playing them and they love playing us," said Polars head coach Al Paciejewski. "The rivalry goes back a few years and it's usually a very close game. They're big, they're tough, and they love to run the football and it will probably come down to a couple of big plays in the fourth quarter. I expect it to be quite high-scoring as well."
The Polars are coming off a 34-26 win last week over the Kelly Road Roadrunners. In that game, Grade 10 running back Brady Lecomte scored three touchdowns -- two off the run and one on a 75-yard kickoff return. The five-foot-five, 185-pound Lecomte is probably the fastest Polar and uses his low centre of gravity and powerful strides to leave tacklers grasping at air. He's averaging 7.9 yards per carry.
"He doesn't look big but he plays big," said Paciejewski. "That kickoff return last week was one of the most exciting plays we've had in the league this year. He just ran by everybody and put it into another gear and was gone."
PGSS quarterback Tyson Plain has hit on 16 of 32 pass attempts for five touchdowns and just one interception. Jordan Olexyn and Mark Elson have been his favourite targets, each with seven catches. With 129 yards rushing. A natural athlete blessed with speed, Plain is not afraid to take off if his receivers are covered. The Grade 11 veteran ranks third among PGSS ball-carriers, but he'd rather hand off that duty in tonight's game.
"We have really good running backs and we have a lot of them," Plain said. "They take the majority Last week the Vikings beat the College Heights Cougars 30-0.
"Vanderhoof is our biggest rival," said Plain, who draws double-duty at safety. "They're always strong and they're always powerful. They hit and they run hard. But we have three of the best linebackers in the league -- Coltron (Starblanket), Eric (Irving) and Alex (Peet) and we just keep rotating them in. It's going to come down to the last few plays."
The College Heights Cougars take on the Correlieu Clansmen in the early game Friday at 4 p.m.
